Fermentation of lactose by Zymomonas mobilis carrying a Lac+ recombinant plasmid

Lac⁺ recombinant plasmids encoding a β-galactosidase fused protein and lactose permease of Escherichia coli were introduced Zymomonas mobilis. The fused protein was expressed with 450 to 5,860 Miller units of β-galactosidase activity, and functioned as lactase. Raffinose uptake by Z. mobilis CP4 was enhanced in the plasmid-carrying strain over the plasmid-free strain, suggesting that the lactose permease was functioning in the organism. Z. mobilis carrying the plasmid could produce ethanol from lactose and whey, but could not grow on lactose as the sole carbon source. It was found that the growth of the organism was inhibited by either galactose of the galactose liberated from lactose.